"Being an African-American woman myself," says one doctor, "I have to go through those same trials and tribulations when I exercise, so I started to realize that this is probably a barrier for many women." (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

(Newser)
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In a move that some are calling bizarre, the surgeon general has set her sights on ... women's hair. While visiting a hair trade show this month, Dr. Regina Benjamin spoke about what Anahad O'Connor, writing for the NewYork Times, calls "something of a pet cause": Her belief that women aren't exercising because the don't want to mess up their hair. "Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,'" she explained, pointing to women's concerns, in particular those of black women, that the time and money spent treating their hair will go to waste.

One study of 103 African-American women found that a third exercised less due to worries about their hair. "It’s not just African-American women," says, Benjamin, whose mother was a hairdresser. "I saw it with my older white patients, too. They would say, ‘I get my hair done every week and I don’t want to mess up my hair.'" Her mission—to convince women it's OK to have a bad hair day for the sake of exercise—isn't without its critics. "The role of the surgeon general is traditionally, and appropriately, to take on big issues," said a senior fellow at a conservative think tank. “I don’t know whether the surgeon general’s role is to engage in smaller issues like this. It strikes me as bizarre." Others say that there are more roadblocks beyond grooming, including work and family.

Dr. Regina Benjamin is obese. She is a big fat affirmative action placement. She is the surgeon general and she is concerned with things like the hair styles of black women (seriously?). This is what affirmative action gets you (ineptitude). you're welcome everyone.

Colonel_Sanders

Aug 27, 2011 1:00 AM CDT

This is racist. It's not 'women' that want to keep their hair looking pretty. It's Black women who won't exercise because then their 'hair' won't resemble white women's hair. duh.

Ramsay_Bolton

Aug 26, 2011 5:36 PM CDT

The main excuse for not having sex is now the main reason they give for not exercising...sigh